Touch
by iamDandidontshipiyatch
Summary: "I'm not here for the throne, even I know this one's a lost cause." Unable to contain his surprise, Sokka gaped the golden-eyed bender. If she didn't come to overthrow her brother, why was she here? [written for zukka week 2019, "day 5: touch"]
1. Chapter 1

Tears of pain rolled down his cheeks but he kept his mouth shut. Biting down on his lip he would rather draw blood than satisfy her with the screams he held down his throat.

Madness danced in her eyes as fear pumped in his heart but he stood his ground. He could neither flee nor shout for help, facing her was his only option. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself back up. Rewarded with a demented chuckled, Sokka glared at her.

"You won't win this Azula, the Fire nation would never accept you. No one will accept you," he hissed through clenched teeth whilst looking around in hope to find his boomerang.

Delirious laughter echoed in the clearing.

"Oh, you're funny, boy," taking one of the jet black strands surrounding her pale face, she twirled it between her fingers, "I'm not here for the throne, even I know this one's a lost cause."

Unable to contain his surprise, Sokka gaped the golden-eyed bender. If she didn't come to overthrow her brother, why was she here?

Reading the confusion etched on his face, Azula's features shifted into a joyful expression. Easily closing the distance between them, she leaped in front of him before he could even think of stepping back.

Clutching the fabric of his shirt in her hands, she tugged him forward.

"Zuzu took my throne so I'll take you. An eye for an eye."

As he leaned away from her frighteningly gleeful smile Sokka inadvertently put weight on his leg causing a whimper to slip past his lips.

"Aw, poor little, Sokka," tightening her grip on his tunic, she used her advantage to brush her foot against his leg making him shudder in pain. "You-"

Suddenly stopping, Azula listened. Brows furrowed, Sokka wondered how crazy the bender had gone, until he heard branches crack.

"You're late, Zuzu."

Even with her back to him, Azula recognized her brother's steps.

Hope rushed through Sokka's veins seeing his partner, hastily replaced by pain when Azula brusquely switched their position. One hand pressing against his throat whilst the other hovered, glowing with fire, all too close to his face, Azula had him completely defenseless.

Panic squeezed his heart, and with Azula's fingers tight around his throat, Sokka struggled to even stand upright.

Blue eyes searched for Zuko's but the searing pain added to the lack of air made it difficult for him to find them. Unable to gather any more strength, Sokka finally fell prey to the dizziness lurking in his mind and slumped against the former princess.

"What a consort you have, Zuzu, he certainly is an interesting one," mocked Azula as she adjusted her grip on her hostage, "Too bad he's gonna die."

Gasping for bits of air, Sokka felt more tears pooling in his eyes. He couldn't even see Zuko.

"Let him go, Azula."

Voice as sharp as metal, the order made Sokka shiver.

"Why would I do that? You're not my Fire Lord nor my brother anymore, Zuko." All trace of amusement deserted her voice and she clutched her fingers tighter around the tanned skin of her prey. "You cast me out of everything remember? But I guess you needed the spots for, pretty boy, here."

Suddenly letting go, she watched Sokka crumble on the ground and laughed seeing Zuko's instinctive step towards his partner.

"You and your friends took everything from me. The throne was mine and you took it."

Sokka barely had time to enjoy the sensation of air once more filling his lungs that a kick in the ribs made him cough it out.

"And him? Your love for him is an invitation to hurt you."

Eyes locked on Zuko's face to make sure she would catch every flicker of pain crossing his expression upon seeing his consort in pain, Azula loomed over Sokka.

"Who am I to refuse such a proposition?"

Crunching his already bruised wrist under her foot, Azula enjoyed every second of it. She engraved in her mind the pure look of distress on her brother's face as she pulled hoarse screams from the man beneath her heel.

Her twisted satisfaction reached its peak when, at last, fire lit Zuko's hands.


	2. Chapter 2

Which one felt the worst he wondered. Fire or lightning? One caused a searing pain through his leg that he endured for what felt like days, the other might just take his life.

Blue eyes wide opened, he could see Zuko's face hovering over him. He looked upset, lips moving he seemed to bark orders, to who Sokka had no idea. His capacity to register things at the moment limited itself to two things.

One, he was in pain.

Two, Zuko was here.

At least half of it was good, he thought before blacking out.


	3. Chapter 3

"Will it heal?"

Still half asleep, Sokka couldn't help but mentally frown hearing how worried Zuko sounded.

"I managed to heal most of it but I'm afraid he'll keep a scar." A sigh. "I wish I could've done more."

What could have possibly brought his sister to Caldera, he wondered. Aang and she did surprise them sometimes but she also sounded upset. Did something happen?

The last remains of sleep blanketing his mind finally let go, and the recovery of his senses welcomed him back.

Waking up with a pained hiss, Sokka startled everyone and a couple seconds passed without anyone moving or speaking.

"H-", clearing his sore throat, he tried again, "Hey everyone."

Briefly ignoring his gaping friends, Sokka did a mental checkup. His left leg ached a little but he could still feel all parts of his body so he took that as a win.

"How do you feel? "

Zuko, he noticed, sat by their bed on his right.

Offering his partner a smile, he was quick to reassure him. "I'm fine, don't worry."

Yet as he glanced around once more, he could easily discern the concern hiding behind the smiles of his friends. What could the fuss possibly be about?

Deciding he would figure it out soon enough, he reached for the hand of his frowning partner but stopped halfway as wide eyes discovered the pattern ornating his skin.

The sudden remembrance of the events left his heart thumping so loud his ears drowned under the noise.

A look from the Fire Lord sufficed for everyone to get the message and despite wanting to help their friend, all quietly left the room, leaving the royal couple alone.

"Sokka."

Ignoring the call, the tribe member kept staring at his right hand.

He'd seen marks like this before. A couple of years back when he helped Mai track a rogue lightning bender, they followed the trail of victims, the rare survivors forever branded by his cruelty. He remembers thinking the patterns were surprisingly delicate, maybe even pretty in their own way.

Somehow he couldn't find any beauty in it anymore.

"Sokka, please look at me."

The harsh reminiscence of the fight brought anew by the spiderweb patterns branded on his skin. Everything came back, bits by bits, scorching itself in his mind.

"Can I-" A pause. "Sokka, can I touch you?"

Surprised by the hesitation in the bender's voice or even the demand, Sokka finally pried his eyes away from his hand and met his partner's concerned golden gaze. Thoughts still buzzing in the back of his mind he frowned at the raven-haired man.

Offering his consort a gentle smile, Zuko moved close to him until their thighs almost brushed but went no further.

"After the Agni Kai with my father, I couldn't stand anyone touching me."

The mention of the tragic duel had the merit to temporarily silence the flashbacks drilling through Sokka's head, granting him a moment of peace to anchor his attention on his partner.

"For a while, I was even scared of my own hands," admitted the former prince, "I knew what damage the hands of people like me could do, had a constant reminder staring back at me."

Throat tightening with emotion at the revelation, Sokka felt tears prickling at his eyes.

"My point is, I-I don't want you to force yourself," Looking down on his own hands, he sighed, "If you don't want me to touch for a while I underst-…"

Heartbeat quickening and brows furrowed Sokka lowered his gaze to his own hands. The left one merely had a few scratches from his fight. The right one stood out against the clear blue of the bedsheets, marked with intricate lines he wondered how far these ran along on his skin.

Realizing Zuko had stopped talking and was now staring at him, Sokka then glanced at the pale hands resting a few inches away from him.

Eyes wandering on the slender fingers, he probed at his heart but found no trace of fear.

Allowing a reassured sigh to slip past his lips, Sokka then glanced at his partner who did a really bad job at concealing his concern.

"I'm not scared of you, Zuko."

Shoulders instantly slumping down with relief, the bender then rubbed his neck, a little embarrassed at such an apparent reaction. Chuckling at the slight flush rosing his partner's cheeks, Sokka then grasped his hand.

"And your hands inspire a lot of things but none of them is fear."

Using his unscarred hand, he lifted Zuko's free one up against his face, the warmth of his partner's skin a familiar and comforting touch. A flash of Azula's glowing hand by his cheek surged in his mind. Closing his eyes until the image faded, he didn't let go of Zuko's hands.

"Azula is the one who hurt me and I'll carry what she did to me for the rest of my life, but I got these," lifting their joined hands between them he squeezed Zuko's hand, "for saving your life and I don't regret it."

Blinking in surprise at his consort, the Fire Lord's expression then shifted into a concerned one.

"You remember?"

A nod.

"It's still a little blurry but yes," glancing at his partner with the shadow of a grin he added, "I'm actually surprised you're not scolding me for that."

Hastily dropping the teasing tone when he saw Zuko's clenched jaw, he made a mental note to avoid joking about his near-death incident for at least the following week.

"So you do remember that despite a severely burnt leg, two broken ribs and a fractured wrist you still put yourself at risk," announced the bender, anger dancing in the golden orbs fixed on Sokka.

Gulping under the fiery gaze, the tribe member winced at the accusation. "I know, but how was I supposed to know Mai and the others were there too? They were hidden right until Azula took her shot at me, from my perspective she was about to kill you, I had to do something!" protested Sokka.

Sighing, Zuko, then pressed a kiss in the palm of his lover's hand before placing them both against his heart.

"I know, I'm sorry."

Gentle strokes brushed against the darkened veins of Sokka's right hand.

"It's just that she burnt you, she hurt you and you almost died and I-" unable to finish his sentence, Zuko's grip on his partner's hands faltered as guilt darkened his features.

Remembering Zuko's earlier apprehension, Sokka tugged him close.

"I'm not scared. You wanna know why?" A hesitant nod. "Because your hands are the ones that held me through my nightmares," Pressing a kiss in the palm of his lover's hand, Sokka whispered his next words against the pale skin, "and I know how much power they hold but I'm not scared."

A faint smile hovering on his lips he kept going, "I'm going to need you, need your hands, need your touch to go through what happened, Zuko."

Gentle lips brushed against his, wordless promise he would stand by him through it all.

* * *

Zuko's question at the beginning is about Sokka's burn on his leg, which btw doesn't hurt him a lot because Katara healed most of it

I'm considering writing more but who knows

Hope you enjoyed!

D.

xoxo


	4. Chapter 4

Breath quickening, he tried to convince himself the charing sensation running along his calf was only a product of his imagination.

Gripping the sheet until his knuckles whitened, he still failed to clear his mind. Helpless, he witnessed his carefully built shelter reduced to ashes by the eager blaze of burning memories.

Paralyzed, he could only grit his teeth as invisible flames licked at his calf. Sparking searing pain upon the slightly scarred skin, they sought revenge for the affront Katara made by healing his leg.

Chest heaving, he shuddered suddenly feeling long nails scrape against his throat. Closing his eyes, he inwardly battled with the sensation, shouting at his mind to rid his skin from the unwanted touch.

Surprised by the immediate disappearance of the ghostly contact, he didn't have the luxury to attempt to free his calf of its scorching hold. Deafening, an all too familiar delirious laughter submerged him as air suddenly stopped reaching his lungs.

Panic coursing through his veins, he wrestled with his mind in a last attempt to tame the pain.

Rewarded with the remembrance of his wrist yielding under a vengeful heel, he finally recovered enough air to scream.

Shooting upright, he ran after his breath as the sheets pooled around his waist. Although no flames devoured the textile, his skin still felt on fire. Blinking at the dark veins of his right arm, he couldn't rid the patterns of the buzzing pain flowing through his flesh

Fat wet pearls cascaded down his face, soaking his shirt. Biting his lower lip, he forced himself to keep his whimpers trapped behind his teeth.

"Sokka."

Closing his eyes, he trembled under the feather-light touch of Zuko's hand against his back.

"You're safe."

Fingertips hovered above his lower back before gripping the hem of his shirt to gently strip the sweaty fabric off him.

Comforting whispers by the shell of his ear gradually calmed his erratic heartbeat and familiar hands chased away the fire ensnaring his flesh.

Body eased from the trouble of his mind, Sokka gratefully accepted the glass of fresh water his partner served him.

Feeling as drained as the empty glass he gave back to Zuko, he knew he couldn't stall any longer. Waiting for his partner to sit by him, he then finally asked the question that had been hanging off the tip of his tongue since the encounter with Azula.

"You killed her, didn't you?"

Strong arms wrapped around his middle as the Fire Lord seated himself behind Sokka.

"I did."

Exhaling a shaky breath, tears pricked around azure eyes.

"Azula stopped being my sister a long time ago, and she crossed a line." Pressing a kiss below the betrothal necklace, he then rested his head on Sokka's lightning scarred shoulder. "She hurt you. I won't forgive anyone who dares to harm you, former relative included."

Pulling his consort flushed against him, Zuko leaned back against the headboard of their bed.

"Your heart is my sun, Sokka," reminded the bender as he gently brushed the tears rolling down tanned cheeks.

"And your love my moon," recited Sokka, the shadow of a smile brushing against his lips hearing their union's vows.

Tilting his lover's face toward him, Zuko softly claimed his lips, melting the anxiety binding his consort's mind away with a comforting warmth only he could provide.

"I don't regret doing what I did." Pressing a kiss on the fading bruise ornating his partner's jaw, he added, "Actually, I am proud of you for standing your ground against her, Sokka. She was one of the most dangerous benders we know of but you kept fighting with all you had and that bought us the time we needed to act."

Feeling Sokka's breathing growing steadier, he kept talking.

"Azula was a threat to everyone but I didn't kill her as Fire Lord, I killed her as Zuko because she came after what is most precious to me. I can't, and I won't let anyone take you from me, Sokka."

Punctuating his statement with a soft nose-nudge to the betrothal necklace, Zuko exhaled in relief sensing that his partner had finally completely overcome the emotional turmoil his nightmare stirred up.

"I love you," breathed Sokka before shifting in his lover's arms to lay more comfortably against him.

"I know, I love you too."


End file.
